Lawmakers from both major U.S. parties signaled strong support on Sunday for congressional reviews into military strikes on vessels suspected of smuggling narcotics in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, following reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly issued a verbal order to kill all crew members during a Sept. 2 operation.
The allegation, published by The Washington Post, has triggered immediate scrutiny on Capitol Hill. Several legislators said they did not yet know whether the report was accurate, but emphasized that the implications were severe.
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia warned that the issue “rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” while Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio noted that leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have already opened formal investigations. Turner added that Congress currently has no confirmation that a follow-up strike targeting survivors took place.
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after returning from Florida, confirmed he had recently spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, though he declined to comment on the call’s details. The administration insists the maritime strikes target cartel networks, some of which U.S. officials claim are controlled by Maduro’s government. Trump is also weighing additional strikes on Venezuelan territory.
Tensions escalated further after Trump declared that airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered fully closed—an assertion prompting sharp condemnation from Caracas, which accused Washington of issuing a “colonial threat.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth has denied the allegations outright, calling them “fabricated” and insisting that U.S. operations in the Caribbean comply strictly with domestic and international law. “All actions are in accordance with the law of armed conflict,” he wrote on X.
Trump, while promising that his administration “will look into” the matter, also defended Hegseth. “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” the president said. “And I believe him.”
Senior Armed Services Committee leaders Sens. Roger Wicker and Jack Reed, and Reps. Mike Rogers and Adam Smith issued synchronized statements over the weekend confirming bipartisan oversight efforts aimed at uncovering the facts behind the Sept. 2 operation.
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska urged caution, saying Hegseth should have an opportunity to present his version of events. “I’m very suspicious he would’ve ordered something like that,” Bacon said, noting it would clearly violate the law of war.
The controversy comes as the administration intensifies its anti-narcotics campaign across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Critics in Congress have long questioned the legal basis and transparency of these operations, especially as the U.S. prepares to escalate pressure on Venezuela.
Kaine and Turner appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation. Bacon spoke on ABC’s This Week.
